Nineteen UK-based employees at HSBC are among those to have been appointed to the rank of managing director as part of the bank's annual round of promotions in global banking and markets.

The UK bank announced the promotion of 79 new MDs in an internal memo sent to staff last week and seen by Financial News. A spokesman confirmed the memo.

Twenty five of the group hail from HSBC's banking division, with another 25 working in its markets and balance sheet management teams. Sixteen work in the capital financing division covering the debt and equity markets. Another eight work in HSBC's securities services, or custody, business.

The regional breakdown is 43% from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 38% from Asia and 14% from the US.

Nineteen percent of the list are women.

MD is the highest rank at HSBC but covers a wide-range of responsibilities.

Samir Assaf, the bank's most senior investment banker who was yesterday elected chairman of the Global Financial Markets Association, is a senior group managing director.

The names of the 79 new MDs, and the countries and sectors in which they work, are listed below.